OMAHA, Neb. (AP) 鈥� Dylan Vigue and Justin Byrd combined on a four-hitter and Georgia made the most of its few offensive opportunities to oust Texas from the College World Series with a 2-0 victory Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs (53-13) beat the Longhorns (46-15) twice in four days to advance to the Bracket 2 final against Oklahoma. Georgia would have to beat the Sooners on Wednesday and again Thursday to go to the best-of-three championship round for the first time since 2008.
The Bulldogs, who struck out 17 times and had just five hits against Luke Harrison and Sam Cozart, scored single runs in the fifth and seventh innings and relied on a strong pitching encore to Joey Volchko’s 15-strikeout four-hitter in a on Saturday.
鈥淲e were going to have to be able to grind out a great pitcher like (Harrison),鈥� Georgia leadoff man Tre Phelps said. 鈥淲hen they鈥檙e having a great guy on the mound, putting things where he wants, we鈥檙e going to have to fight as a collective, as a hitting group, and put the ball in play and not go down as many times as we did.鈥�
Vigue allowed two hits and struck out eight in four innings and Byrd (6-2) gave up two hits and fanned four the rest of the way.
鈥淚 thought we swung at some pitches we shouldn鈥檛 have, and it made him have a successful night,鈥� Texas’ Carson Tinney said, referring to Vigue.
In two games against Texas, Georgia pitchers held the Longhorns to 8-of-60 hitting (.133) with no extra-base hits and struck out 27.
鈥淚 think for the whole staff, it鈥檚 just been inevitable,鈥� Vigue said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen it all fall, winter and spring. It was going to click at some point, and it finally is. We have such a talented pitching staff. These big games, everybody stepped up to the occasion so far.鈥�
Harrison (6-4), making his first start since May 29, was in total control early and finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
The Bulldogs scored in the fifth when Phelps, who was 1 for 11 in the CWS and struck out his first two times at bat, doubled in Brennan Hudson for Georgia’s first hit.
Georgia added a run in the seventh against Sam Cozart after coming out on the good side of three challenges.
Texas center fielder Dariyan Pendergrass attempted a diving catch on Ryan Black’s fly to start the inning. The ball popped out when Pendergrass’ glove hit the ground. The initial call was good catch. Georgia challenged and the call was reversed. With Black on third, Rylan Lujo popped up to short left. Black tagged up and beat Adrian Rodriguez’s throw to the plate. Texas challenged the call, and video showed Black got his hand under Tinney’s tag. Texas challenged again a moment later, this time that Black left third early. Video showed he did not.
The Longhorns’ last best chance to score came in the eighth when Rodriguez, who on Monday, came up with men on first and second and two outs. He grounded out.
鈥淭he ball bounces didn鈥檛 go our way tonight, but really proud of our team and the season we had, finishing in Omaha, and I’m looking forward to being back,鈥� Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle said.
Georgia’s shutout followed , marking the first day at the CWS since 1973 that there were multiple shutouts.
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